Oct. 3, 2018 | Midwestern State University | thewichitan.com | Your Campus. Your News. | Vol. 83 No. 5
PHOTO BY FRANCISCO MARTINEZ | THE WICHITAN
The only out of country prospective student, Pietro Lazzarotto, from Italy gets shy when pointed out from the crowd for being the only foreign prospective student at Mustangs Rally in D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Saturday, March 24
SHIPLEY REPORTS RECORD HIGH KRISTIN SILVA REPORTER
freshman enrollment
According to an email from University President Suzanne Shipley sent at 11:20 a.m. Sept. 27, fall 2018 enrollment increased. “I am pleased to report our fall 2018 enrollment increase as follows. • While our headcount increased only slightly from 6,080 to 6,102, our semester credit hours increased by 1.2 percent. • Our new first-time freshmen enrollment is particularly promising, increasing by 6 percent with a record number of 873 new freshmen enrolled. • New first-time transfer enrollment also increased substantially by 5 percent with over 550 new transfers enrolled. • Our residential facilities are nearing capacity with a 7 percent increase in students living on campus. • We are welcoming growing numbers of international students with new enrollment increasing by 3.5 percent.
• These students are helping us offset losses of over 1,400 students successfully completing degrees in the last academic year, another total to celebrate. “Thank you to everyone who contributed efforts to achieve this impressive progress in growth and degree completion. It is truly a collective effort to enroll and graduate students, and your work is very much appreciated.” Frederic Dietz, vice president of enrollment management, said the goals for this semester’s enrollment were met. “Overall we are pleased,” Dietz said. “We are encouraged by the increase in credit hours that students are taking and the large freshman enrollment increase is always encouraging too. We had a big graduating class this spring so we were trying to replace all the students that graduated and this year we had more students enroll than graduated.” Dietz said they are on track with their future enrollment goals.
“One of our targets was to increase freshman and transfer numbers,” Dietz said. “It feels good getting the student enrollment number above 6,100 and increasing both by a good percentage. One of the [long-term] targets is to grow student population to 8,000 by 2025. That gives us seven years to complete this goal and [where we are now] is good momentum.” According to Dietz, the enrollment numbers include both the Wichita Falls campus as well as the Flower Mound campus. “The numbers include both campuses,” Dietz said. “Our target for Flower Mound was to have 182 students taking classes through that campus and we met that goal. Meeting those target numbers is encouraging.” With the increasing enrollment of students, residence housing is filling up. “We are much closer to full capacity in the residence halls,” Dietz said. “There is a 7 percent increase in housing because of the increase in student enrollment.”
While Julie Gaynor, director of marketing and public information, said part of the metrics of has worked with marketing is with admissions, she believes the work both departments have made to become a more residential campus which has enticed today’s prospective students, making our school more attractive to them. Gaynor also stated the school had growth in mind when constructing new resident halls. “One thing that we did when we constructed new residence halls, we built for growth,” Gaynor said. “We knew we wouldn’t be at capacity on those and we didn’t want to be at capacity on those – we wanted to build for growth. And that’s what you’re seeing now, you’re seeing us grow and that’s really important.” Additional reporting by Chloe Phillips
Jordan Stavely, marketing junior | “They could add more degree options along with classes to give students more of a variety to choose from compared to other universities.” Corey Gentle, marketing sophomore | “We need a better food plan. Nobody eats in the cafeteria, and the new swipe plan limitations are too strict for people who live on campus.” Rebecca Goodman, kinesiology sophomore | “I would have a booth set up at the high schools and even foster homes. Foster homes because many foster kids do not have an idea about college, so they might be able to go up and ask questions.” Blandine Kanyambo, nursing junior |”[Have] more activities to make students want to come here. It’s all about what they are taking away when they come to visit our school.”
2 | Oct. 3, 2018| STAF F E DIT O R I A L
New meal plan has deceived students OUR VIEW: The new meal plan rules have struck a chord with the student body and we feel that if we are paying for our meal plans someone else should not dictate what we choose to eat.
W
e should not be limited to only having Burrito Bowl and Chickfil-A once a day counting as a meal swipe then be forced to use flex dollars if we want to eat one of those choices again. Some students, along with us, feel deceived because there was no notification about this change prior to the start of this semester. Even students who work in residence life were unaware of the change being made. We pay for a meal plan and are told we have a variety of options, but the time-span and actual availability of these options are extremely limited. On top of that, there is talk about broadening our food options on campus, so why are we being limited to how often we eat outside of the Mesquite Dining Hall? The reasoning behind the decision was to put more funding towards Maverick’s Corner and the dining hall to better the quality of the food since the campus is becoming more residential than commuter. However, we believe that still isn’t a good enough reason to make the changes that have been made without any notification. Personally, if we would have known this change was being made we definitely would have bought a different meal plan - one with less meal swipes and more flex.
wichitan Vol. 83 | No. 5
Midwestern State University Fain Fine Arts Bldg., Room D201 3410 Taft Blvd. Wichita Falls, Texas 76308 (940) 397-4704 wichitan@mwsu.edu thewichitan.com @wichitanonline
The pressure of perfection is overwhelming A
t a young age, going to a university and graduating with your dream degree was instilled into us. We were able to choose what and where we wanted to take our first big step into life. We celebrated when we got accepted into our dream school and counted down until the day we moved away from our parents’ rules and regulations. We posted picTaylor tures and tweets about moving in and loving Anderson our new roommates, getting brand new dorm decor and school supplies. We soon get lost in the parties, football games, and numerous naps per day. Time flies, midterms start to approach and at this moment, we realize how stressful college actually is. It has been six weeks and my life is a wreck. The goals and dreams that I put before myself are slowing fading away. The thought of obtaining a 4.0 GPA and being at the top of my class is gone. I’ve looked on Pinterest and Google for tips and tricks on how to study more effectively to get a 4.0, I’ve joined study groups and have gone to office hours, but nothing is clicking for me. I grew up in a family that doesn’t accept anything below a B; no excuses. In high school, if I struggled in class I would go to tutoring, and a little coaxing of the teacher would help
bring me up to an A. I quickly learned that doesn’t work here. There are so many fears of how my parents will react once they find out that I’m not doing as well as they thought I would, and it’s a possibility that I won’t achieve a 4.0. I feel like every goal and dream I set for myself is falling out of reach because of the pressure I put on myself to achieve perfection. I’ve even started to doubt my abilities to succeed in college and in life. Fortunately in the past few days I’ve realized that success isn’t easy. I want a perfect GPA and I want the Chief Editor job at ESPN, but I have to work to get to where I want to be and it won’t be easy; I won’t let that dream slip away. The best way I deal with stress is keeping a positive mindset and surrounding myself with others who believe I can grind through it. A positive mind will allow you to see struggles as a character builder, not as a setback. I encourage you to talk to close friends, family and those who really love you if you’re feeling overwhelmed. You can even go home or a have small getaway for the weekend to unplug and refocus. Just remember that other students understand your struggle, so don’t be afraid to speak out and keep pushing through and your head held high because you will succeed. Taylor Anderson is a mass communication freshman.
Construction madness takes over Fain I
t’s 9 a.m. on a sunny, Thursday morning and students are usually in class learning while listening to the soft chirps of birds as they fly across the sky. Instead of a normal morning on campus for students and staff, our morning is filled with the high pitched squeals of drills and vibrations throughout the Latoya Fain building. My class ended early today and Fondren it wasn’t due to a catastrophic event or safety concern rather the construction madness. For the past few weeks, students haven’t had access to the D-wing entrance of the Fain building because of the construction and it has caused an inconvenience for everyone. I believe there is a lack of consideration for class time and the need for students to not have to walk from the other side of the building to get to their classes. This has caused a disturbance in classes and as a result professors can’t hear themselves teach important material and have to end their class early. This takes away from the quality of education that students are suppose
to be provided with each and everyday. Additionally, there are a few safety concerns I have: • The construction workers have placed a few bricks in the grass connecting the D-wing to the quad for students to walk on. The bricks are poorly placed and it’s a safety hazard because someone could accidentally trip and fall. • There is no caution sign present to warn anyone who walks on these bricks to be careful. • This isn’t safe for anyone who is handicap. There is no smooth route for handicap students unless they take a longer route from the other side of the building. Students and professors weren’t informed of the construction before it started, and I believe we should have received a heads-up about it so everyone could plan accordingly. I hope the madness stops soon because no one is happy about this and we’re tired of having to be on the constructions time frame. We pay thousands of dollars to take classes that we can’t learn in because of the drills and vibrations. Latoya Fondren is a mass communication senior.
EDITORS: Alyssa Mitchell, Chloe Phillips, Kristin Silva
Copyright ©2018.
DESIGNER: Brittni Vilandre
First copy free. Additional copies 25¢ each.
ISSUE STAFF: Chloe Phillips, Brian Lang, Tommy Chhe, Andrea Hall, Jason Wilson, Jadon Lane, Jake Clancy, Paige Champagne
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Francisco Martinez, Angel
Ukwitegyetse, Kayla White, Naomi Skinner, Marissa Daley, Bridget Reilly,
ADVISER: Bradley Wilson
The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. Opinions expressed in The Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (250 words or fewer) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a email address, telephone number and address.
| Oct. 3, 2018 | 3 Kappa Alpha helps
raise $25,000 TOMMY CHHE REPORTER
Kevin Hart, Taran Killam, and Tiffany Haddish in Night School (2018)
PHOTO CURTESY BY IMBD
‘Night School’ struggles for laughs BRIAN LANG FILM CRITIC
The summer hits have come and gone. The Oscar-worthy films are yet to hit the screens. The box office is left with little to show at the moment. One of the more interesting of the meager offerings this week, however, is the comedy “Night School” diBrian Lang rected by Malcolm D. Lee (Girl’s Trip.) Teddy (Kevin Hart) is a recently unemployed salesman who must get his GED in order to get a lucrative marketing job. After returning to his old high school and being placed in a class with a single-mom, immigrant, teenage drop-out, and prisoner (via Skype), Teddy is taught the value of hard work through his serious but compassionate teacher Carrie (Tiffany Haddish). Despite a promising idea, the only thing this movie has going for it is Hart and Haddish as the leads. These two masters of comedy throw one-liners back and forth and fill scenes with hilarious physical comedy that carries audiences through the films lackluster story. Hart plays his usual schtick as the short, self-sabotaging, funny guy while Haddish has an inexhaustible supply of charisma that can make even the weakest jokes seem funny. Their pairing is a match made in heaven and I hope there are more (better) films with the two of them in the future.
The storyline almost feels irrelevant around these two, and the movie would have certainly benefited if the directors backed off to let the two stars truly shine. Instead, Haddish and Hart are yoked with preaching a half-baked lesson on the benefits of persistence that’s shoehorned into every non-funny scene. It’s in these teachable moments that the comedic element drops off, leaving the audience waiting for the next funny scene or gag to roll around. Putting all of that aside, “Night School” has some good moments. Many of the scenes have the elements of great comedy, especially when Hart and Haddish are given the chance to really work off of each other. Seeing Carrie push around Teddy while he’s in a chicken suit is definitely worth the other dragging moments the film throws at you. The smaller roles are filled with good comedians who squeeze every ounce of humor they can get out of them, allowing the movie to make repeated jokes about parenthood, “wokeness” and prison, depending on the particular character’s small backstory. However, many talented actors (Ben Schwartz from “Parks and Rec” and SNL alum Taran Killam) are given little to do and rarely add to the comedy. At the end of the day, “Night School” is not terrible. It’s got plenty of funny bits and it’s always fun to see talented comedians at work, but it certainly isn’t anything special. Even with two comedy stars, “Night School” still can’t get a passing grade.
HH✩✩✩
Kaleb Collins, Kappa Alpha president, and Jordan Nieto, radiology sophmore and Kappa Alpha philanthropy, help raise $25,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Kappa Alpha and the Muscular Dystrophy Association raised $25,000 for kids and adults diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related muscular-debilitating diseases on Sept. 12 at the Lake Center. Small and big businesses and community leaders within Wichita Falls went for the cause of donation. Collins said if there is any precedent for other fraternities to look at, do not exclude any donations. “The biggest don’t is to not exclude anyone from a donation,” Collins said. “Whether it is a dollar or a thousand dollars, everything counts so include everyone.” According to Collins, the biggest positive for a fundraiser to run efficiently is having more individuals who are willing to contribute. “The biggest do for a fundraiser is get a team behind you. Get people that can be focused on a detail. As president, I can’t tell you how many things are going on when it comes to setting up a fundraiser. If I am able to have one person, a couple people or a dozen people, that goes a long way as opposed to doing everything by myself,” Collins said. Nikki Garcia, development specialist at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, said students can raise awareness for people diagnosed with dystrophy by engaging with the community. “There are many ways to be involved with the MDA,” Garcia said. “By participating in a community event you’re sure to find an activity.” According to Garcia, there are two other ways to raise awareness - volunteering and hosting an event. “Volunteers are the driving force that enables us to support the kids and adults we serve and hosting an event goes a longway to support a cause. With every message that is sent and every dollar that is received, lives are changed,” Garcia said. The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the national philanthropy for Kappa Alpha where both organizations cooperate with each other for at least one event a semester. Nieto said he advised other organizations to look at this as a precedent to not procrastinate. “Definitely take an event head-on as soon as you are told about an event regarding your fraternity,” Nieto said. “Don’t put it in the back burner and be like ‘I’ll get to it later’ because later becomes tomorrow. My view on procrastination is do everything the minute you could do it.” This will not be the only fundraising activity from Kappa Alpha. According to Nieto, there will be another fundraiser this semester. “There will be another fundraiser on Nov. 11 and it [the fundraiser] will be at Village Bowl,” Nieto said. “It is from six to nine and we encourage everyone to come out to the event. It doesn’t have to be students from Greek Life. We want everyone including faculty, and in the near future, there will be fliers put up about the fundraiser.” Kappa Alpha will have a public relations shirt sale giving all proceeds to the Muscular Dystrophy Association starting Oct. 19.
4 | Oct. 3, 2018|
Rebekah Proffitt
‘I will never forget my experience’ JAKE CLANCY REPORTER
In the spring of 2018, Rebekah Proffitt, radiology sophomore, was among the first 12 students to have the opportunity to travel to Grenada for two weeks. Grenada is one of the 28 Caribbean islands with a population of 107,317. Students participating in this program were able to take one core class titled Global Health and Wellness. “It satisfies a core class and I wanted to experience something new,” Proffitt said. “Plus it was on the beach.” The students stayed in dorms at St. George’s University in True Blue Point, Grenada. On school days, class took place for six hours then the students had the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. “We went to class from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a lunch break,” Proffitt said. Three professors — Michael Mills, international education director, Tammy Kurszewski, respiratory care assistant professor and
✁
MSU student discounts $2 off any service USE CODE: 20221
Jennifer Anderson, respiratory care assistant professor – traveled with the students. “Dr. Kurszewski and Dr. Anderson were the ones who actually taught the class,” Proffitt said. “It was a great experience to go abroad with professors that truly want the best for their students and were always so encouraging and uplifting.” According to Anderson, the group would often go on excursions around the island in the afternoon after class. “It was nice to be able to apply the concepts that we were introducing in the classroom in an actual live environment,” Kurszewski said. “We also integrated an applied research project as part of the curriculum so the opportunities around the island really facilitated completion of those programs. The students had time to observe culture and observe the individuals that were living there on the island and their interactions with each other and with us.” According to Proffitt, the work was more
than just homework and quizzes. “We had some homework and a few quizzes to complete online, but we mostly did a lot of hands on work during class,” Proffitt said. Proffitt said after class the students could do whatever they wanted to and she preferred to go to the beach. “The weather was beautiful and the temperature was in the 80s the whole time,” Proffitt said. “It rained a few times, but their showers don’t last that long at all. We made sure to go to the local beach every day.” The people in Grenada were very nice and kind to the visiting students, Proffitt said. The locals showed the students around and introduced them to their culture and food. “The food was basically Americanized, but just seemed a lot more fresh. There weren’t as many preservatives in the food,” Proffitt said. Proffitt had almost nothing negative to say about the trip, however her classmate Julianne Plambeck, nursing junior, spoke about the difference between our transportation
and theirs. “The transportation system in Grenada is really efficient,” Plambeck said. “But since there aren’t any roads, stop signs, stop lights, or speed limits it was definitely a roller coaster every time we got on there.” According to Plambeck, St. George’s University is very similar to Midwestern State, but just on an island. “I absolutely loved the university and the city,” Proffitt said. “The locals would tend to get a little too touchy, but overall I didn’t have a bad encounter. I loved our whole group - the professors, my classmates, everyone. They were so nice and kind.” The study abroad program will be returning to Grenada in 2019 and it’s likely this will be a reoccurring destination in future years. “I would highly recommend any students who need to take Global Health and Wellness [to] study abroad to take it,” Proffitt said. “I will never forget my experience in Grenada and what fun I had with my classmates.”
Always hiring great stylists
| Oct. 3, 2018 | 5
COUNSELING C
ounseling Center members respond to the possibility of suicide on campus by providing extensive resources to students who may be struggling throughout the year to help maintain a safe environment for college students to live and attend school according to Pam Midgett, Counseling Center director. “I really believe in the potential of all young people and I want to help them not feel suicidal so they can do well in school and go ahead and make their mark on the world,” Midgett said. “Sometimes things get in the way of that.” Midgett said five professionals including one licenced professional counselor with a doctorate, three master LPCs, one masters LPC intern work at the Counceling Center, as well as graduate students within the counseling and psychology departments who counsel students under supervision. “Suicide, depression and anxiety are seen in people who are highly educated and those who are not in college,” Midgett said. “We also see depression and suicidal ideation in people who are older adults middle age adults, and those who are young in adulthood like college students. We have a diverse group of students who come here and some of them have the illness of depression and some of them feel suicidal.” According to Midgett, it’s important for students who feel suicidal to have access to someone to talk to and that’s what the Counseling Center provides. “Sometimes when students are depressed they have isolated themselves,” Midgett said. “That’s what depression makes you do. It makes you wanna be alone and isolate from friends family and others. [They] just really need somebody to talk to, help them with the way they’re formulating their thoughts, listen to them and help them with their feelings.” Midgett said the Counseling Center does a lot of things to reach out to students. Academic workshops which teach students about time management, organization, test anxiety, choosing majors and study skills are available
123
C E N T E R P R O V I D E S
M E N TA L H E A LT H
R E S O U R C E S BY JASON WILSON, REPORTER in the spring semester. In the month of November, members of the Counseling Center offer to help students prepare for finals and alleviate stress. The Counseling Center staff members help students deal with problems before they become problems by providing training about consent and sexual assault which often lead to depression and suicidal thoughts. They also offer group counseling for student success with ADHD and for the LGBT Plus community. Midgett said there are problems the members of the Counseling Center can’t help with, however they provide referrals to help students get help and find resources in any situation. Midgett said while the Counseling Center will first try counseling students through their feelings, sometimes a combination of counseling and medication helps. Despite outreach, a difficulty the Counseling Center faces is that most students who are experiencing depression usually never reach out to the Counseling Center. “One of the things that occurs on college campuses across the United States is about 11,000 students per year complete suicide,”
Average number of suicides per day in the United States
44,965
Americans die by suicide each year
Midgett said. “Of those only 30 percent have come to the counseling center on their campuses. That’s one reason we like to do projects like the depression screening, the QPR training and having speakers come to campus about this topic. We want all the faculty members, staff members and students to help us and the Counseling Center reach out to students who are struggling.” In the event of a suicide, the Counseling Center works to make resources available to friends and family. “If there was a suicide on our campus, or something like that, we’ve tried to stay very open to those who are left behind and are grieving,” Midgett said. “We [are] happy to talk to family members, parents and students who were their friend. We do whatever we can to help the grieving.” Jaclyn Carranza, athletic training senior, said she has experienced suicidal thoughts and has attempted suicide twice. “I’ve talked to multiple therapists outside of MSU and there are the psychologists or the therapists that really want to figure out why you feel this way and help you figure out what kind of exercise that would help,” Carranza said.
51%
Of suicide cases were accounted for by the use of a firearm in 2016
Zachary Zoet, graduate assistant, said mental health practitioners are passionate about addressing suicide in all aspects. “Obviously suicide is something very serious that deeply impacts all the persons around the loved one,” Zoet said. “It causes ripple effects for years to come and it’s something that can be preventable.” Zoet said the Counseling Center works with other groups and departments on campus to help reach students who may not attend workshops and speaker events and there is always someone available to talk in a crisis to even if campus is closed “We go to where the person is, coordinate their care, or figure out what we need to do whether it’s safety planning or, perhaps, a safer place,” Zoet said. “It really depends on the person.” According to Zoet other resources are available for students, faculty and staff to reach out to on campus. “Everyone is kind of on the same team,” Zoet said. “The psychology clinic, us [Counseling Center], campus police and housing help with prevention. All you have to do is ask for help and it will be readily supplied.” According to Zoet, the students play a role in helping their friends and pointing them in the direction of resources. “Not every student is going to be in the same places,” Zoet said. “We do a diverse amount of outreach, but we’re never gonna hit everyone. It’s just we’re never going to be able to sit down and have a face to face with every student. Every semester we give training for how to intervene if one of you friends or loved ones is having suicidal thoughts and what you can do. We try and train the student body to be able to help their friends and loved ones.” Aly Ramirez, education freshman, said she attended several sessions the Counseling Center arranged. She said they do a good job training students to know the signs of mental health and how to respond.
see CENTER pg. 6
28%
Increase in the total suicide rate since 1999
6 | Oct. 3, 2018| from CENTER pg. 5 “It’s important to be open talking about suicide to create a support group who can help work through feelings and thoughts of suicide,” Ramirez said. “If we see the signs or someone openly expresses those thoughts, the counseling center does a really good job with making sure they get you in the same day. If its an emergency kind of thing then they make sure they come in right away.” Ramirez said the role of the student body is supporting their peers in everyday life. “I feel like its more on the student body because the Counseling Center, while they’re there and it’s a resource, they’re not walking with us day-to-day or texting us. They can’t be with 6,000 plus students all the time, but if we see someone struggling, just being a human and asking ‘Hey, how are you? Are you doing okay?’ is a huge deal.” Carranza said friends are one of the most important things for a person who’s struggling with depression. “My friends are like family to me,” Carranza said. “Knowing that I can talk to them about anything and they’re going sit with me and listen to all of the stuff that I have to tell them feels good. Off of that I have joined a sorority so that I could have a bigger family because it is a sisterhood, and I’ve found that I could truly just go up to any of them and just talk to them about anything.” Midgett said many of the students who attend the training sessions and talks the Counseling Center organizes are students who are looking to be better prepared to help their peers through hard times. “I find that the students on our campus really wanna help one another. They like each other and generally want good things to happen to their peers. Some of the students who come to these events are interested in being ready to help others if they were to meet somebody who needed some help,” Midgett said. Carranza said there is a huge personal role in getting better. “What’s helped me the most is thinking of everything good I have,” Carranza said. “I’ve been making a list of everything I’m grateful for and all the positives in my life because it’s so easy to go to the negatives and think of the bad things that are going wrong when there’s tens of millions of good things that are going on at the same time.” Carranza said it’s important for personal healing to let go of the past and forgive. “Going back to faith, trying to forgive the people who did hurt me in that way. People always say ‘Forgive and forget,’ but you really never forget,” Carranza said. “God wants you to forgive, that’s what I’m called to do, so I’m gonna do it anyways, and forgiving that person also helps [personally].” Carranza said she wanted people to know how important being open about thoughts and feelings of suicide and depression is. “How can anyone help if no one knows?,” Carranza said. “That’s my biggest thing. Talk to someone. It doesn’t matter who it is. Talk to someone who really wants the best for you.
LOCATION | Corner of Hampstead and Louis J. Rodriguez Drive HOURS | Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Social work freshman, Kayla Lopez, picks up a package from parcels.
PHOTO BY ANGEL UKWITEGYETSE | THE WICHITAN
CAMPUS POST OFFICE PREPPING
for busiest time of the year
JADON LANE REPORTER
Work at the campus post office ebbs and flows throughout the year, but during the fall semester, the workload greatly increases. Postal Services Supervisor Jon Lane said, “This is our busiest time of the year. We have more students enrolled in the fall than in any other semester.” This means chaos for Lane and his employees at the post office, but there is hope if he can get the proper assistance. “It’s good if we have experienced help this time of year so that we can help monitor the situation and get the new students in and out and going in the right direction. We have an influx of incoming freshmen and it’s all new to them,” Lane said. With family members and friends sending things like letters, care packages and dorm room appliances, the employees working at the post office find it easy to keep themselves busy. Postal clerk Brenda Stewart said, “We never have trouble staying busy this time of year. Everybody is getting used to how everything goes around here so we get lots of questions, people forgetting mailbox numbers, students ordering things for their dorms and so on.” However, things like care packages and dorm room decor only make up a fraction of the mail that goes through the post office, thanks to companies like Chegg and Amazon Prime. “I would bet around 70 to 75 percent of the mail we
get this time of year is textbooks,” Stewart said. What Stewart said was no exaggeration as there was a heaping pile of orange cardboard boxes in the corner of the mail room. Lane said, “The ability to rent textbooks nowadays makes our job extremely more difficult because we have hundreds of packages coming in every day now at the first part of the semester. You know, for each class a student has, they’re going to need at least one book that is required, and if you average 15 hours a semester, that’s an average of five classes, so it’s a minimum of five books for each student. Multiply that by the 2,000 or so students that live on campus and that’s a lot of packages that come in every day.” All this being said, Lane has a method to keep things running as smoothly as possible as the semester goes on. “As the main person in charge of the post office, I strive to keep things at a steady pace where we can stay ahead of the game, meet the customers’ needs and answer any questions that new students might have,” Lane said. The last thing Lane said he does to keep things running smoothly is try to keep a trained staff available throughout the day, every day. Lane said, “With graduation in December and even in May, we do have turnover so we have to bring in new students periodically, but I do my best to stagger them to where I don’t have all seniors or all freshmen. I have a good mixture of all, that way I can still have the same crew for two or three years in a row.”
| Oct. 3, 2018 | 7
FILE PHOTO BY KAYLA FILE PHOTO BY MARISSA
WHITE | THE WICHITAN
Jorrey Martin, special education sophomore, is crowned Miss CaribFest 2015 by Miss CaribFest 2014, Indira Placide, biology senior, at the end of the 2015 Carib Fest Pageant.
DALEY | THE WICHITAN
Beyandra Blanchard, radiology sophmore, poses for pictures at the end of the Mr. and Miss Caribfest Pagaent in the Akin Auditorium Sept. 28 where she won 2017 Miss Caribfest.
FILE PHOTO BY NAOMI SKINNER | THE WICHITAN
Kamilah Tobin named queen at the Miss Carib Fest Queen Show Oct. 1, 2016.
Students prepare for CaribFest pageant ANDREA HALL REPORTER
While the fall semester is in full swing, the excitement of CaribFest is just getting underway as the Caribbean Student Organization sets its eyes on the aspects that bring such a vibrant event to life much like the CaribFest Pageant. “The pageant itself is a display of poise, elegance and intelligence,” Valandra Jno Marie, management sophomore and CSO chair, said. “It’s a way for MSU students of all cultures to display their talents and creativity.” With a total of seven contestants, four women and three men, students are looking to compete in a friendly competition to be Mr. and Miss CaribFest. The pageant consist of four judged segments: evening wear, swimwear, talent and an interview. Lydie Joseph, radiology freshman, said
competing has impacted her greatly. She said though she tends to stay in her comfort-zone, pageants have been a way to help her step out and perform better than she ever thought she could. “Pageantry in general is something I’ve always valued,” Joseph said. “It gives individuals a chance to showcase themselves in a positive manner, and to some extent inspire others to do the same.” Because of the glitz and the glam of the evening, Marie said the whole idea is for a very royal atmosphere throughout the event. She also said the swimwear portion is a way for the contestants to show their creativity. “Some of the contestants will design and make their own swimsuits,” Marie said. “They aren’t judged on how they look in the swimsuit, but how creative they got with it and how they made it their own.”
The talent portion is when the competitors have the chance to show off something they are gifted at. “Anything can happen during the talent section,” Marie said. “They really get the chance to wow the crowd.” According to Marie, the interview portion of the pageant is a test of knowledge. During the interview section of the pageant the contestants are judged on their intelligence because the pageant is not just about beauty - it’s about knowledge, creativity and personality. To get a sense of each contestants personality, an introduction is held before the judged portions begin. “The opening introductions are a way to get the competitors comfortable,” Marie said. “It also gives the audience and judges a glimpse at the competitors personalities.” The pageant was started by Fatisha Imo in
2012 as a way to highlight the importance of women. However, Marie said that has recently changed. “It’s still a way to empower women of all cultures,” Marie said. “But last year and this year we have included men in the pageant because they can take pride in the pageant as well.” Although the pageant is hosted by the Caribbean Student Organization, competition is open to men and women of all cultures. “We don’t put this on for only Caribbean students to compete in or enjoy,” Marie said. “We don’t want to close anyone one out. This is a way for different cultures to come together and learn more about one another and have a better understanding of each other. In the future we hope to not just make this an MSU thing, but a Wichita Falls community thing. “
THE CARIBF E ST PAGE ANT | O C T. 5 AT 7 P.M . I N A K I N A U D I T O R I U M | $5 P ER S TU D ENT
CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3
FRIDAY, OCT. 5
Fall 2018 Rising Mustangs Leadership Program | 5 p.m. Clark Student Center, Wichita I & II
Family Weekend
Artist Lecture Series Bill Strickland | 7 p.m. Akin Auditorium THURSDAY, OCT. 4 Speakers & Issues Series: Amanda Danning | 7 p.m. Wichita Falls Museum of Art CaribFest Soca Show | 7:30 p.m. Sikes Lake Center “Dracula” | 7:30 p.m. Fain Fine Arts Center
Mr and Ms CaribFest Pageant | 7 p.m. Akin Auditorium
Family Weekend Tailgate | 5 p.m. Memorial Stadium Glow Fete | 9 p.m. Comanche Suites SUNDAY, OCT. 7
Outdoor Movie: ‘Incredibles 2’ | 8 p.m. Quad
Family Weekend Brunch | 10:30 a.m. at Mesquite Dining Hall
SATURDAY, OCT. 6
Movie ‘COCO’ | 7:30 p.m. Legacy Multipurpose Room
CaribFest Parade | 2 p.m. MSU Campus CULTURE SHOW | 4 p.m. Mustangs Walk Hypnotist CJ Johnson | 4 p.m. Akin Auditorium
Theater Production: “Dracula” | 7:30 p.m. Fain Fine Arts Center MONDAY, OCT.8 UPB Tag Day| 5 p.m. Quad
8 | Oct. 3, 2018|
WOMEN’S SOCCER LOSE 1-2 PAIGE CHAMPAGNE REPORTER
PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN
Special education sophomore and midfielder Madison Williams retrieves the ball from an Eastern New Mexico University player. Sep 30.
The women’s soccer team lost 1-2 to Eastern New Mexico University Sunday at Stang Park. Head Coach Ryan Spence attributes some of the failure to the coaches themselves. “We didn’t match the intensity,” Spence said. “At the end of the day this team’s hungry because I left them last year and this is the team I came from so all these girls are angry and they’re playing hard and they outplayed it because they wanted to win more than we did today.” Both teams had a score of zero throughout the first half of the game, with special education sophomore Madison Williams being the first to score about 15 minutes into the second half. The team was unable to make a comeback as ENMU scored two goals against it before the game ended. “I think that it takes too long for us to realize that every game is crucial,” Brandy Villasana, midfielder and kinesiology senior, said. “It’s just more of we take too long to start giving it everything that we’ve got.”
Spence addressed this as the issue affecting the team’s performance in the game. “I always will praise them for their fight at the end of a game. I think they fight hard, but they wait until their back’s up against the wall, and that’s where they’re at right now is that we don’t keep it on them. We score a goal and then we let down,” Spence said. Villasana said she doesn’t think the team lived up to their full potential during the game. “I think that we didn’t do as good as I know that we’re capable of doing,” Villasana said. “I think that we looked a little bit tired out there and there’s no room to show weakness. I mean we did as good as we were able to, but it wasn’t good enough.” While he said he thinks some players are good at being competitive, Spence addressed they still have room to improve. Villasana also said she sees room for growth in herself and her team. “I could improve on my leadership, and I guess the same thing that the whole team needs to improve on-just the fight to want to win every battle,” Villasana said.
T H E N EX T M S U WOME N ’ S SOCCE R GA M E I S F R I D AY, O C T. 5 A G A I N S T T E X A S WO M EN’ S AT 7 P. M . AT S TA NG PA R K . PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN
VOLLEYBALL Raven Presley, engineering sophomore, jumps and hangs in the air to attack the set from Sarah Glawe, education junior, while Sarah Eakin, nursing junior, runs around for the fake-out play. The volleyball team took a match loss of one set to three versus the Angelo State University Rams. The final scores stand at set one 12-25 (Angelo), set two 25-23 (MSU), set three 15-25 (Angelo), and set four 16-25 (Angelo). The volleyball team faces Angelo State University again Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. in the Rams’ gym.
PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN
WOMEN’STENNIS Criminal justice sophomore Taylor Gray returns a serve given to her by Saint Edward’s University’s doubles team consisting of Paola Carpio and Kate Malzonia in a tennis match played on Saturday, Sep 29. In the women’s doubles consolation bracket, the doubles partners for MSU consisted of Juliette Mary and Taylor Gray who suffered an 8-6 setback against Saint Edward’s University’s Carpio and Malzonia. Coffman, Westwick and Diaz, not pictured, advanced and will play in the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia Oct. 11-14.
UPCO M ING GAME S: ME N ’ S SOCCE R V S . S T E D WA R D S 3 P.M . O C T. 4 I N A U S TIN |C R O S S C O U NTR Y V S B A P TIS T I N V I TAT IONAL IN SHAW N E E | VOL L E Y B A L L V S T E X A S A & M K I N G S V I L L E O C T.6 AT C O LIS EU M | FO O TB A LL V S TEX A S A& M COMM E R C E O C T. 6 AT 7 P.M . AT M E M O R I A L S TA D IU M